Brian and Maggie: how to watch the real interview with Margaret Thatcher from 1989 - where to stream it

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Viewers can watch the real Brian and Maggie interview on Channel 4 👀
  • Channel 4’s Brian and Maggie comes to a conclusion tonight.
  • The second part will dramatize the notorious 1989 interview.
  • But can you watch the actual thing - or just the drama series?

Channel 4’s Brian and Maggie is dramatizing one of the most dramatic moments in the reign of Margaret Thatcher. The 1989 interview on London Weekend TV which was her final one during her time in 10 Downing Street.

Steve Coogan plays Brian Walden in the two-part show and Succession star Harriet Walter is the Iron Lady herself. You can learn more about the politician turned interviewer here.

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The second and final episode will air on Channel 4 tonight (January 30) and it will focus on the notorious interview from 1989. But once you’ve watched the dramatic recreation, you might be wondering if it is possible to watch the real thing.

Broadcast in October 1989, just days after the resignation of Chancellor Nigel Lawson, the interview attracted three million viewers. It became a massive national event and was a precursor to the resignation of Margaret Thatcher after more than a decade in power.

Harriet Walter in Brian and MaggieHarriet Walter in Brian and Maggie
Harriet Walter in Brian and Maggie | Channel 4

Can you watch the real Brian and Maggie interview?

The second episode of the Channel 4 docuseries will air tonight (January 30). It prominently features the final interview between Brian Walden and Margaret Thatcher - making up the dramatic conclusion of the show.

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The first episode focused on Brian’s career switch to journalism and his early sit downs with the infamous Prime Minister. But the landmark 1989 interview is the centrepiece of the second part.

As a drama series, it doesn’t feature a re-enactment of the full interview - just parts of it. So you might be wondering if it's possible to watch the actual piece of television from 1989.

London Weekend Television doesn’t exist under that name anymore. But Channel 4 have secured the real interview and it is available to stream on its on demand service.

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To find it, simply search Brian and Maggie in the Channel 4 app - it has the subtitle The Real Interview, to differentiate it from the drama series.

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How long is the real Brian and Maggie interview?

In the Channel 4 drama, the 1989 interview doesn’t occur until the back half of the final episode. However the real TV event was a lengthy affair - it runs for 43 minutes on demand, with the app featuring ad-breaks as well.

Do you remember watching the interview back in 1989? Let me know your thoughts on Brian and Maggie by email: [email protected].

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